It only takes a second for a kitchen fire to start when someone steps away to answer a phone call, leaves a dishtowel too close to the stove, or overfills a frying pan with oil. These types of accidents result in more than 100,000 home fires every year according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). As part of its Fire Prevention Month, Central County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) is working to prevent these accidents by building awareness about kitchen fire prevention throughout October.
“With all of the open heat sources, it is easy to see why two out of every five home fires start in the kitchen, and why they are the leading cause of home fire-related injuries” says CCFR Chief Russ Mason. “Many people are simply unaware of the real dangers present in their kitchens.”
CCFR and the NFPA recommend following these tips to avoid a kitchen fire:
- Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, broiling, or boiling food.
- If you must leave the room, even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
- When you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, stay in the home, and use a timer to remind you.
- If you have young children, use the stove’s back burners whenever possible. Keep children and pets at least three away from the stove.
- When you cook, wear clothing with tight-fitting sleeves.
- Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper and plastic bags, towels, and anything else that can burn, away from your stovetop.
- Clean up food and grease from burners and stovetops.
Throughout the month, CCFR firefighters will present safety lessons to kindergarten through third grade classrooms throughout the fire district. Kitchen fire prevention information will also be distributed at community events and through the District’s enewsletter and website. CCFR’s Fire Prevention Month is in conjunction with NFPA’s Fire Prevention Week, which is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.